The Future of Waterskiing

[jjackkrash]

Last week my boy and his cousin (both just starting 6th grade) mastered their deep water start on a slalom ski as well as generally skiing on it and crossing the wake. (My boy has been really solid on two skis for a while and even ran most of the course on them, but he needed a little competition from his cousin to push him to want to get up on one).

 

Afterward, they told their other cousin about their success (also a 6th grader), who insisted we go out this weekend. Saturday was windy, cold, and drizzly, and they still all wanted to go out anyway. The third boy also mastered his deep water start on a slalom ski as well as generally skiing on it and crossing the wake. Between the three of them, I put almost 4 hours on the boat on a crappy weather day without having to pull one tuber or anything other than a slalom skier.

 

For the last week or so, I have been fielding every conceivable ski related question you could imagine, including a bunch of questions about tournament and college skiing (including questions about trick and jump) and boat driving. My boy even insists he is getting his boaters card this winter because really wants to start pulling skiers himself (we'll see).

 

It has been a great week or so. The future of waterskiing (at least in my household) is looking bright.

 

[keithh2oskier]

@jjackkrash What age is he? 10-11? I think its certainly a good idea to get him behind the wheel. My dad had me driving my mom free skiing around that age and within a year I would drive him through the course. My friends also were taught at the same age.

 

In addition to giving them the chance to be better boat drivers sooner, it also gets them used to being behind the wheel of a moving vehicle and start thinking about how to react in certain situations which will make adapting to a car in a few years that much easier. Also I think it helps teach and reinforce responsibility.

 

My parents said my little brother who never skied/drove the boat had a much harder time (and is generally a shittier car driver) and they attest it to the fact that I had 4-5years of boat driving experience before I got my license.

 

Also my dad had me back up the trailer when I was 15 and I would tow it to/from the lake when I had my drivers permit. When I was 16 I had free reign to take it out with my buddy (no adult supervision) to go ski because again I already had several years of successfully operating a boat.

 

In general its all good life skills and its bonding with the kids. Hard to go wrong... :)

 

 

[jjackkrash]

@keithh2oskier, my boy just turned 12; he is 4 days over the cutoff, so he old for his grade. I would love him to drive me, but the boat has a lot of power as well, and I don't want him to suffer a life-changing catastrophic mistake if he's not ready. Right now I let him drive around the lake with me hovering over him and I think he could be ready to drive skier's with a lot more practice. I am for sure encouraging him to get his boater's card, which he will do this winter.

[BraceMaker]

@jjackkrash that takes me back - I remember waiting to be 12 so I could take the boat out alone. Every kid is different though. My 12 year old job was yard work at a marina - so you got to do all sorts of fun stuff.

[LoopSki]

my 9 yo is so excited now . my cousin and I were tweaking our skiis and he grabbed his and wanted to work on it too. so cute

[BrennanKMN]

I started driving our boat right when we first got one at age 12. I got my boaters license at 13, the youngest allowed in MN. Most of the time I was driving my father and his friends around the bays of Lake Minnetonka. I could drive that boat better than they could.

 

Driving that boat in a busy lake with lots of channels and markers gave me a good understanding (and respect) of how to operate a boat. If I didn't spend my middle school and high school years on that boat I can almost promise you I wouldn't be the skier and lake lover I am today.

[Drew_Wright_OBXtoFl]

Teach them to drive. My youngest drove me in the course solo at 36 mph 7th grade that's about 12 or 13 guess he loved it and still does.